Three Little Schoolgirls: Kasumi Tendo
by Latin Usako
Summary: A special day for Kasumi Tendo [can't get more vague than that *smile*]...


Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Rumiko  
Takahashi and other respective companies and I am  
in no way making any profit from this story. This  
is just for my personal enjoyment and for the  
enjoyment of those who may read this.  
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Three Little Schoolgirls: Kasumi Tendo  
By   
Sonia M.  
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Kasumi loved helping her mother make dinner. She also loved taking out all the bowls and placing them on the small table.   
  
It was just like out of the 'Bear Family' story that her Momma would read to her at night.   
  
The biggest bowl was for her Daddy and it was dark blue with light blue fish painted on the sides. Her Momma said that he had been hard to catch but she had done it...he was her prize. For some reason that always made her Daddy smile.   
  
The next to biggest bowl was her Momma's and it was a deep gold color with fire painted all over it. She'd heard her Daddy call her Momma a spitfire whenever her face would get red in that teasing tone that made her giggle. So she guessed that the fire on the bowl was just right.  
  
Next came her bowl and it was a light violet because that was her favorite color. It had flowers painted a deep purple on the sides because her Daddy said she was his little flower.   
  
Nabiki's bowl was green because her Momma said that she was one of the finest jewels in the family, like an emerald. Nabiki had once whispered to Kasumi that it was really because her Momma knew how much she liked money. She could count it whenever her Momma let her and she knew how to spend it wisely. That was the real reason, Nabiki always said.  
  
Little Akane's bowl was painted all sorts of colors: red, brown, blue, because her parents said you couldn't really tell about her. She was sometimes bright and sparkling as a fire and other times she would just stare at you with her caramel eyes as if she knew things only she could understand. Her Daddy insisted that she'd be the martial artist in the family and her Momma said that she'd be different from all of them.  
  
Kasumi was the girly type, Nabiki was the sharp one, and Akane at four years old, was...Akane.   
  
Each of them was different as night and day but they were, her Momma said, important parts of her, like parts of a jigsaw puzzle. If even one piece was missing the picture would be incomplete.   
  
Kasumi had never thought much of it until later on when the biggest piece would be missing in her life.   
  
In any case, she loved helping her Momma. She knew so many things that Kasumi never thought she'd be able to learn in her whole life.   
  
Her Momma knew how to cook, give them baths, brush their hair, kiss their tears away...her Momma was the greatest Momma a girl could have.   
  
Tonight, of all nights, was a special one because she was helping her Momma for the first time in a long time.   
  
Her Momma hadn't been able to do much for a while now and she'd mostly been in bed because Daddy said that was what the Elder Dr. Tofu* had ordered.   
  
But now, thanks to kami, her Momma was well enough to do things with her again and she was glad to spend every moment with her.  
  
She had just finished placing putting the plates on the table when she heard her Momma's sweet, gentle voice.   
  
"There's a little bluebird next to me, telling me secrets you can't see..."  
  
She loved this game! Her Momma would make up a song, usually a silly one and she would get to make up the next part.  
  
She ran to get the tape recorder, like she always did, so they could play it back for 'Kane when she woke up from her nap. The songs were always the funniest things to Akane.  
  
She pushed play and thought a bit before responding.  
  
"This little bluebird's blue like the sky, telling me secrets and I don't know why..."  
  
She sat near the door that led to the backyard and felt the cool breeze on her face. It was a pretty night out tonight.   
  
The best part was wondering how the song would turn out.  
  
"Yes I do, I just found out; this little bluebird's a little scout..."  
  
Her Momma could be really silly sometimes.   
  
She put her hand on her mouth to cover the giggles that were making their way up her throat. They made her mouth itch.   
  
And she could be silly too.  
  
"It came down from the heavens onto my hair, and I can't see him anywhere..."  
  
It didn't make sense but she could feel her Momma smile behind her.   
  
These were the times that she felt mostly peaceful and she felt that she could almost roll the love she had for her Momma up into a ball and hand it to her. Sometimes, she could feel it so much that it hurt.   
  
She just couldn't imagine not having her Momma's love.   
  
"It's so surprising but now I see, this little bluebird's my Kasumi!"  
  
Her Momma was moving about and she could hear her covering pots and pans and stirring.   
  
"But Momma I'm right here, you know that I am always near..."  
  
It was true, she was never far from her mother. She'd go to school, get home and run to her mother and they would be together until bedtime. That was the way things were...familiar.  
  
"Kasumi, my darling whom I love with all my heart; you and I'll never be apart..."  
  
Kasumi put her arms over her head, wiggling them like spiders and kicked her legs out.   
  
"I'm the little bluebird who loves you even if you go far, I'll send my love to you in a jar..."  
  
Kasumi knew she didn't have to wait long before her Momma came back with a response. Her Momma knew lotsa stuff and she was smart. It usually only took a few seconds for her Momma to come up with a smart and funny line, especially when it was so close to the end.  
  
She waited, wondering where the little bluebird would end. Maybe her Momma would send it to bed, but she certainly hoped not. After all, she was having so much fun here with her Momma and it really had been too long since she'd been able to.  
  
Kasumi sighed, wishing that there were more times like these. Her Momma had been so sick, but Daddy said that she was getting better. That's what Elder Dr. Tofu* said and he was always right! He knew how to cure lots of things.  
  
He had once cured her little turtle, even though Nabiki said he couldn't cuz he wasn't an animal doctor. But he had and that was when Kasumi knew that she could trust him.   
  
"Come one Momma, what's next?"  
  
She giggled, thinking that her Momma probably wanted to make this a really special ending. Akane would certainly love this one, Kasumi was sure of that.   
  
"Momma."   
  
Kasumi looked out to the koi pond, wondering what was taking her Momma so long.  
  
The smell of burning food suddenly penetrated her nose and Kasumi wrinkled her nose. That wasn't like her Momma at all. She was the greatest cook in Nerima...that's what Mrs. Saotome had said and she'd _never_ have burned the food.   
  
Little warning bells went off in her mind. What was it that Momma had said to do in these kinds of situations?   
  
She stood and ran to the stove, turning the dial until the fire was off. That was funny, she hadn't noticed that her mother was gone.   
  
But then again, her mother's footsteps were always so quiet and her Daddy would say that she walked like a cat...without making a sound.  
  
Kasumi walked into the living room and there she saw her Momma, on the floor with her back against the wall.   
  
This wasn't right, this wasn't right at all. Whenever her Momma was tired she'd walk through the small hallway and into her room so she could lie down on the futon. This was all wrong and her Momma wasn't supposed to be so quiet and she still had to finish the bluebird song.  
  
Something dropped from her hands and she looked down and saw that it was the tape recorder but she didn't remember why she had it in the first place.  
  
Oh yes, they had been singing the bluebird song and her Momma still needed to finish it.   
  
But then why was her Momma so still, like the wounded little bird they had once found out by the koi pond?  
  
She felt her legs get wobbly and so she fell to the floor. Now what?   
  
"Momma?"  
  
Her Momma didn't say anything, she just lay there, her long hair covering her face, her hands too pale.  
  
Kasumi crawled to her slowly, and then stopped. This was wrong...this was _wrong_.  
  
But she needed to wake her Momma up because the food was burning and Kasumi was worried and they still needed to finish the bluebird song.  
  
She didn't know how, but she crawled to her Momma and placed one of her hands gently on her shoulder.  
  
"Momma? Momma...wake up Momma."  
  
But her Momma didn't move and suddenly she heard a loud, hurt cry and she wondered where it was coming from.   
  
It was her. _She_ was crying but she had to stay quiet because if her Momma woke up she'd worry and she didn't want to make her Momma worry.  
  
But her Momma wouldn't wake up. She shook her as hard as she could just the way she would Nabiki whenever they were playing the silent game.  
  
One of them would stay as still as they could, pretending to be asleep and the other would shake her, as hard as she could until she woke up.  
  
Nabiki _always_ woke up, so why didn't her Momma?  
  
She tried to stop the tears in her eyes...she had to be strong.   
  
For what?   
  
For her Momma and for Nabiki, Akane, and her Daddy.   
  
But Kasumi didn't want to be. She didn't understand any of it and wondered why her Momma was so still when Elder Dr. Tofu had said she was getting better.   
  
She sat next to her mother, she didn't know how long, begging her to wake up, stroking her hair, telling her that as soon as they finished the bluebird song she could go back to sleep.   
  
Suddenly, she heard Akane's cries and realized that she must have just woken up from her nap.   
  
Maybe that would be enough to wake her Momma up...knowing that Akane needed her.   
  
Kasumi whispered to her Momma that Akane was crying and that she needed to get up.   
  
But her Momma stayed still.  
  
And now she couldn't stop the tears and so she cried until she couldn't hear Akane anymore.   
  
She was so...tired and she'd take a nap now until Daddy came home and he'd fix things...he'd make her Momma wake up.  
  
So, with a small sigh, she lay her head on her Momma's lap and closed her eyes, wondering what would happen to the little bluebird...  
  
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Author's Notes:  
  
*I say Elder Dr. Tofu because in this Ranmaverse he's either Dr. Tofu's father, grandfather, or such...haven't really decided yet. Point is that he's really old...  
  
Well, what do you think? I know it's a bit too, oh shall we say...syrupy cute and sweet but I wanted it to be and so I make no excuses for it. Things may have moved a bit too fast and I may have to edit this once I get feedback from you guys. Just in case you're wondering, this will be a three parter that has each little schoolgirl: Kasumi, Nabiki, and finally Akane as protagonist of her own story during/prior to her mother's death. I might even do Soun Tendo's perspective upon finding his dear wife dead on the living room floor with his little girl's head on her lap. And yes I most certainly did cry when Simba placed his frail little body under Mufasa's big ol' paw...all three times that I saw "The Lion King". *sniffle* Oh, and this story is told somewhat in Kasumi's voice (so yes, some of the grammar is intentional). As always, C&C is welcome (be it positive or negative as long as it's intelligent) and I'm almost done with Part 2 of "The Truth" (I should be done with it at the end of this week or the beginning of next). I already have most of the story mapped out as it will progress and have a somewhat vague idea as to how it will all end.  
G'day to everyone and remember that writing is time consuming and exhausting and that we must all be patient...even though we ARE wondering how "Hearts of Ice" will end (I say that Ranma kicks ass as a ghost and Akane kicks everyone *else's* ass and they have a passionate night of...um, this is rated PG...^_^;). It's just a guess, though. smile  
Sonia M.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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